7:45 p.m.: Two workers, a cook and a waiter at Hacienda Real, were taken into custody by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations in Summit County on Tuesday, according to Voces Unidas.

Voces Unidas President and CEO Alex Sanchez, in an interview with Summit Daily News, said his team has verified the detainments by using U.S. Immigration and Enforcement agency databases after speaking with family members of the detained workers. Summit Daily News has not been able to independently verify the detainments.

Editor’s note: The story below was updated to summarize live updates collected during the operation on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The original reporting and live updates are included below the recap.

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Homeland Security Investigations, which is a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, executed search warrants at two locations in Summit County on Tuesday, Sept 16.

Federal agents arrived at Hacienda Real — a Mexican restaurant in Frisco — and a home in Dillon Valley, an unincorporated area near Dillon, around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The two operations concluded around 1:30 p.m.

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Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said he was made aware of the operations through dispatch when the agents arrived. The agents were serving “targeted, federal, criminal” search warrants, FtizSimons said. He added that he did not know details about their operation.

Homeland Security Investigations public information officer Steve Kotecki would not provide any details at the scene to a Summit Daily News reporter beyond explaining that agents were serving a criminal search warrant as part of “authorized law enforcement activity,” noting that the agency will be issuing a press release with more information at a later time. He declined to answer any questions posed by reporters, and other agents did not provide responses to questions, citing policies provided to them by their supervisors.

A federal agent, who declined to provide his name and was located at the residence in Dillon Valley, did tell a crowd that they made no arrests at that location, according to a Summit Daily News reporter on scene. Hacienda Real owner Luis Flores said no arrests were made at his restaurant, according to information gathered by a Summit Daily News reporter on scene. 

Flores said agents were looking for immigration documents for Hacienda Real employees, according to information gathered by a reporter on scene, and Hacienda Real stated in a Facebook post that the business has been “going through a process that began after an anonymus (sic) call was made reporting that we had undocumented workers in our restaurant.”

“For several months, we have been cooperating with the authorities and providing all documents requested by ICE,” Hacienda Real stated in its post. “Unfortunately, this process led to a broader inspection of the restaurant.”

Sheriff’s Office deputies went to the Dillon Valley location to conduct crowd-control activities around 12:40 p.m., as people gathered to watch the federal activity and as people parked their cars on the roadway, blocking traffic, according to Schilling.

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Videos captured by Summit Daily News showed how small crowds were gathering an interacting with federal agents. Most observed operations from a distance, and some were heard screaming telling agents to leave, while one person yelled, “These are hardworking people — get out” and others expressed that they were not wanted here.

Onlookers at Hacienda Real shouted at federal agents as they left the restaurant. Some stood in front of the agents’ vehicles as the agents turned on their sirens and horns and tried to leave the scene. At one point, an agent grabbed a woman’s arm and moved her out of the way of one of the vehicles.

Federal agents were observed by Summit Daily News reporters removing a bag of evidence, a computer tower, a file organizer and other items out of Hacienda Real and putting them into one of their vehicles. Behind the home in Dillon Valley, federal agents forcibly opened a box truck and removed boxes, according to a video captured by Summit Daily News.

Hacienda Real wrote on social media that it will be temporarily closing the restaurant due to the seized equipment. The restaurant stated in its post that it has operated with “honesty” for 22 years, “serving a community we deeply love,” expressing hope for returning to serving the community soon.

Summit County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mike Schilling noted that a targeted investigation, like the one that agents told the community were happened Tuesday, is very different from a civil immigration enforcement operation.

“The Sheriff’s Office did not provide any support or assistance for the operation, nor did ICE request any,” according to the agency’s Facebook post. “Deputies responded to a call for service at Straight Creek Drive, ensuring community safety by helping with crowd and traffic control.”

Summit Daily reporters on scene at both locations saw agents with HSI, or Homeland Security Investigations, and ERO, or Enforcement and Removal Operations, on their clothing. The two divisions are parts of ICE, the former handling criminal investigations and the latter handling immigration law enforcement. There were also agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation present.

Dillon Valley Elementary School planned to hold kids inside and do a controlled release at the end of the day, according to Kerstin Anderson, the Summit School District director of communications.

Community members react

Numerous immigration-focused nonprofits advised the community to limit interaction with federal agents in Summit County during the enforcement operations.

Multiple businesses closed their doors during the operations, and Summit School District enacted policies aimed at student safety Tuesday afternoon.

Attorney and Elevation Law founder Karen McCarthy called Summit Daily News and said her law firm was advising the community to not open their doors, to call a lawyer if they come into contact with federal immigration officials and adhere to “Know Your Rights,” which is a campaign that explains constitutional rights for engaging with federal law enforcement agents.

“I think everyone needs to be on guard and aware of their constitutional rights,” McCarthy said.

According to information presented by Elevation Law regarding the “Know Your Rights” campaign:

• Agents cannot enter a home without a warrant signed by a judge, which must be presented.
• If the warrant is signed by ICE officers, they do not have the authority to enter a home without your consent. If you are a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident, show your green card, license, permit or any other document showing your legal residency status.
• If you are undocumented, you can remain silent and not discuss your status with any officials.
• Do not sign any documents. Anything shared with officers can be used in court, and immigration lawyers advise against signing anything presented to you without having a lawyer present.

Rumors circulated after agents left Hacienda Real and Dillon Valley that they traveled to Breckenridge for further activity, but those rumors are not true, according to Schilling, the lieutenant from Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office also addressed concerns from the community regarding its policies when other law enforcement agencies are operating in the community, while also clarifying past communications regarding rumors circulating in Summit County.

“On September 11, 2025, we posted that no ICE operation had occurred. That was true, and specifically posted to ease community concern due to ongoing rumors,” the post states. “At that time, people were concerned that loved ones had been detained or arrested by ICE, when, in fact, they had not been. The Sheriff’s Office never commented on whether an ICE operation would occur in the future. We have no way of knowing such information.”

Sheriff’s Office policies state that its employees can’t confirm or comment on potential operations, and its social media posts reiterated a commitment to community trust and safety.

“This is likely not the last time we see ICE in our community,” the post stated. “When such incidents occur, it is best to have a plan, understand your rights, and remain calm and peaceful.”

McCarthy advised people to reach out to Elevation Law if they are subject to any federal enforcement activities. Elevation Law can be reached at (970) 455-1013. Mountain Dreamers, another immigration-focused nonprofit and advocacy group, has resources available and can be reached at MountainDreamers.org or (970) 368-6354. Another nonprofit, Voces Unidas, also offers services and resources for immigrants with various legal statuses. Voces Unidas can be reached at 970-340-8586 or VocesUnidas.org.

Editor’s note: Summit Daily News reporters Kit Geary, Cody Jones, Ryan Spencer and Kyle McCabe contributed to this report.

Original, live update reporting

2:20 p.m.: Federal law enforcement operations are complete at both locations, according to Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons.

Federal agents exited Hacienda Real with a bag of evidence, a computer tower, a file organizer and other items and put it into one of their vehicles, according to a Summit Daily reporter on scene.

Hacienda Real owner Luis Flores said no arrests were made at his restaurant today. Flores said agents were looking for immigration documents for Hacienda Real employees, but Homeland Security Investigations public information officer Steve Kotecki would not provide any details beyond explaining that agents were serving a criminal search warrant as part of “authorized law enforcement activity,” noting that the agency will be issuing a press release with more information at a later time.

Onlookers at Hacienda Real shouted at federal agents as they left the restaurant. Some stood in front of the agents’ vehicles as the agents turned on their sirens and horns and tried to leave the scene. An agent grabbed a woman’s arm and moved her out of the way of one of the vehicles.

1:10 p.m.: Federal agents on scene at Hacienda Real in Frisco said their operation is an investigation. An agent in Dillon Valley said no arrests were made Tuesday.

1:06 p.m.: Dillon Valley Elementary School is holding kids inside and will do a controlled release at the end of the day, according to Kerstin Anderson, the Summit School District director of communications.

1 p.m.: Federal agents forcibly opened a box truck behind a home in the area of Dillon Valley and removed boxes. No arrests were made.

12:45 p.m.: Numerous immigration-focused nonprofits are advising the community to limit interaction with federal agents in Summit County during the enforcement operations.

Attorney and Elevation Law founder Karen McCarthy is advising that the community not open their doors, to call a lawyer and to adhere to “Know Your Rights,” which is a campaign that explains constitutional rights for engaging with federal law enforcement agents.

“I think everyone needs to be on guard and aware of their constitutional rights,” McCarthy said.

According to information presented by Elevation Law:

Agents cannot enter a home without a warrant signed by a judge, which must be presented. If the warrant is signed by ICE officers, they do not have the authority to enter a home without your consent. If you are a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident, show your green card, license, permit or any other document showing your legal residency status. If you are undocumented, you can remain silent and not discuss your status with any officials. Do not sign any documents. Anything shared with officers can be used in court, and immigration lawyers advise against signing anything presented to you without having a lawyer present.

McCarthy advised people to reach out to Elevation Law if they are subject to any federal enforcement activities. Elevation Law can be reached at (970) 455-1013.

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Mountain Dreamers, another immigration-focused nonprofit and advocacy group, has resources available and can be reached at MountainDreamers.org or (970) 368-6354.

Another nonprofit, Voces Unidas, also offers services and resources for immigrants with various legal statuses. Voces Unidas can be reached at (720) 588-8219 or VocesUnidas.org.

12:40 p.m.: Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputies are being dispatched to Dillon Valley to conduct crowd-control activities.

Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mike Schilling said people are gathering to observe the federal activity, and vehicles are parking on roadways, blocking traffic. The Sheriff’s Office is advising that people allow the federal agents to execute their “federal, criminal” search warrants in Dillon Valley and Frisco to allow them to leave the county once they are completed.

Videos captured by Summit Daily News show small crowds gathering, observing operations from a distance, while some can be heard yelling, “These are hardworking people — get out!”

12:30 p.m.: Summit Daily News has confirmed federal agents are also located in the Dillon Valley area as well as the Frisco area near Hacienda Real. Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said there are two known locations for “targeted” and “criminal” investigations.

Summit County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mike Schilling said federal agents’ primary purpose is to issue search warrants for their investigations. He noted that a targeted investigation is very different from a civil immigration enforcement operation.

He said the current operation “is very different from a civil roundup.”

FitzSimons said he was notified of the operations through dispatch when the agents arrived and did not know any more details about the federal law enforcement activity.

11:45 a.m.: Various federal agencies are executing operations in Summit County.

Summit County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly called ICE, has begun an operation in Summit County today. The Sheriff’s Office says the operation “is part of a targeted federal criminal investigation under ICE’s legal authority.” The Sheriff’s Office is not providing support of assistance for the operation, according to the post.

Agents with the words “police” and the letters “HSI,” which stands for Homeland Security Investigations, are standing guard outside of Hacienda Real in Frisco as caution tape is strung up in front of the Mexican restaurant, according to Summit Daily News reporters on scene. Federal Bureau of Investigations agents have also been spotted by Summit Daily News.

Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said Homeland Security Investigations is executing a “targeted, federal, criminal search warrant” in Summit County. He said agents are active at two locations, one in unincorporated Summit County and one in Frisco. He said agents from several federal agencies would likely be present for the operations.

FitzSimons said he was made aware of the operations through dispatch when the agents arrived. He said he did not know any more details about the federal law enforcement activity.